and why there's all these dmt strains? why can't it be just 1 like acid is and shrooms and other psychedelics
That's a question with a huge answer, and the question is flawed, because, like the many analogs of DMT (
strains is not the right word, as it is represents a group of plants w/ similar characteristics, whereas
analog is defined as "a compound with a molecular structure closely similar to another,") there are
many analogs of LSD (like 1P-LSD), and 4-PO-HO-DMT¹ aka psilocybin--the main prodrug in shrooms "psilocybe cubensis" (like 4-AcO-DMT) and every substance out there.
Organic chemistry is one hell of a subject, and even after years of hobby study, I hardly comprehend it. lol But I think I understand enough to give you an analogy that might help make sense of this. (Like how the word
analog is in there?)
So, let's see.
Pharmaceuticals (drugs) are usually made of organic molecules--which are made up of bonded atoms--that have an effect on the mechanisms of living creatures. Let's pretend that these drugs are balls.
Take a soccer ball, American football, baseball, and a billiards ball. They are all different sizes and shapes, some readily bounce, some are filled with air, some are round, and they behave differently when struck. The soccer ball and American football have similar mass, are both filled with air and bounce easily, and for the sake of this analogy be considered analogs, whereas the billiards ball and baseball have similar mass, are solid, don't bounce well, and behave similarly when struck, forthis example be considered analogs. But while these
analogs share similar characteristics, and behave similarly in certain ways, they are still not the same. Each of the balls can be used in different ways, like pharmaceuticals (drugs). You can throw each of them at someone, and something's gonna happen. The structures of these balls will modify the effect on the person they are thrown at. And there are other variables, like the amount taken (velocity of the throw), route of administration (at what part of the body are you throwing), and the subject itself is a variable (how tough is the person being thrown at?), and more!
Balls A, B, C, & D, thrown at 40 mph at the same spot on a strong, muscular young person: Ouch, that football sure hurt more than the soccer ball did, but the soccer ball left a bigger bruise. Now let's throw the billiards ball and the baseball. The baseball hurt like hell, but that damn billiards ball's cracked some bones (due to it's greater inelasticity).
You'd expect the same experiment on an old, feeble person to cause much greater trauma.
Best I could come up with at the moment! Hope this helps.
Oh yeah, and some analogs have wildly different effects, or none at all.
Sorry, got carried away and ended up going beyond describing analogs to variables in cause and effect.
Outer space is cold and dark. So is the inside of your freezer. They are both cold and dark. Put a mug of warm beer in the freezer and it'll get cold, but put that same mug of beer in outer space and the shit will boil away!
¹In humans, 4-PO-HO-DMT (psilocybin) is converted into 4-HO-DMT (psilocin--which is the main psychoactive substance that provides the psychedelic experience from shrooms)--it's a prodrug, or a drug that's converted into a pharmacologically active drug. There are many prodrugs that are converted into different active substances after administration through one or more processes. Isn't that cool?
